A woman who fights for women

Has many prizes Anna Fiscale already received for their commitment. These include the “Prize European Social Innovation Competition” or the European Civil Society Prize and, last year, the Cavaliere al merito, the Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy. Tomorrow there will be a new award in this remarkable series: the founder and president of “Progetto Quid”, a social and ecological fashion company for disadvantaged women, will tomorrow receive the Elisabeth Norgall Prize from the International Women’s Club (IWC).

The company’s goal and social mission is to help disadvantaged people – mostly women – to regain self-confidence and a perspective for their lives through meaningful work. Textile leftovers from large fashion companies are used for an economic, social, ethical, sustainable and innovative project to support socially marginalized groups. It has always been a concern of the 33-year-old to support women and people in general who are victims of social exclusion and are hardly perceived as a target group on the labor market. Fiscale’s interest in fashion, one of the most important economic sectors in Italy, went well with this concern. So nine years ago she developed a project that creates social value and at the same time gives the fashion industry an innovative and ethical note.

From the large amounts of surplus material that is thrown away every year by Italian fashion houses and textile manufacturers as soon as the decisions for a season have been made, she wins the material for her company, which has developed into an innovative ecological fashion brand in the sewing workshops. Fabrics and people get a second chance for a new beginning. “Our company symbol is a clothes peg, with which we hold together what defines society, the environment and the market,” explains Anna Fiscale.

The employees of “Progetto Quid” come from 16 different nationalities, most of them are women with a difficult past. The project offers them the opportunity to learn a profession, to work and thus to have a livelihood and to build and lead an independent life. The company also operates two workshops in the prison in the northern Italian city of Verona. Most of the female employees there were victims of sexual exploitation or come from prostitution, while others were addicted to drugs or alcohol. Still others are older people who have been laid off by Italian fashion companies and who are difficult to place on the normal job market. They bring valuable experience that enables them to train others.

Due to the corona, the company had to close its workshops at short notice in spring 2020. “However, the emergency situation due to the pandemic did not hold back our view of the future. It is a full of challenges that we would like to turn into opportunities. We will not give up training new employees and we are working hard to improve our social, ethical, to pursue ecological and sustainable goals “, emphasizes the award winner, who will be celebrated tomorrow at the Zoom conference. The award ceremony is the highlight of the club year of the International Women’s Club. In memory of the club’s founder, it is awarded every year to a woman who is particularly committed to the concerns and problems of women. it